Over thousands of years and in every corner of the planet, human beings have built stuff. Places to live, work, sleep, eat, drink, to do anything really – and some of those structures are as beautiful as any natural wonder. From the Pyramids of Giza and the Taj Mahal to the latest winner of RIBA’s ‘building of the year’, the world is packed full of man-made marvels.
Last week Time Out published a list of the most beautiful buildings in the world, with travel writer Liv Kelly putting together a list of the planet’s ‘most pleasing, fascinating and impressive’ buildings. The list stretched to 24, featuring stuff ranging from the aforementioned pyramids and Taj Mahal to Paris’ Fondation Louis Vuitton and Barcelona’s Sagrada Famila.
Also featuring in the top 24, however, is a building in the UK – and it might not be one you’d expect.
Coming in at number 19 was Maggie’s Centre at St James’s Hospital in Leeds. A charity centre for cancer patients, this particular Maggie’s was designed by Thomas Heatherwick – who’s also known for stuff like the London 2012 Olympic cauldron and the revamp of Coal Drop’s Yard in King’s Cross, London.
Writing about Maggie’s Centre at St James’, Liv said: ‘Hospitals tend to be uncomfortable places characterised by too-bright strip lighting and unnervingly squeaky surfaces, but not at this Maggie’s Centre.
‘The charity has striven to build personal environments to support cancer sufferers and their families, and this space is comforting and stunning. Enormous, mushroom-shaped forms grow from the floors to form the tiered roofs, and the stems are deep enough to contain loos and lifts. The space is decorated with mostly natural materials – think cork-topped tables, resin floors and cascading potted plants.’
When it opened in 2020 the building was the 26th venue for Maggie's Cancer Care Centres, which is a charitable initiative. Heatherwick’s Maggie’s is one of several cancer centres created by a notable architect or designer, with the likes of Norman Foster and Ab Rogers having also designed one.
You can read Time Out’s full list of the most beautiful places in the world here.
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